what's good: I heart NY
Things admired in the Big Apple
In poetry: I have not [yet] visited this place but Rachel Wetzsteon (say “wet stone”) describes it - both literally & figuratively - with such love that I need to find my way there soon. It also inspires me to think + write about my own scattered petals, “versions of myself I was on the verge/of becoming.” Please remind me.
I don’t know much [yet] about this poet but from the pieces I’ve read so far, this description from NYT at the time of her death in 2009 is astute:
Hard-edged yet sinuous, rich with feeling yet unsentimental, Ms. Wetzsteon’s poems have a distinctly urban disposition. By turns angry, melancholy, hopeful and comic, they explore the sensibilities of women as they fall in and out of love. The city, in particular the West Side of Manhattan, is seldom far from view.
I look forward to reading more of her work, and selfishly wish she were still here to savor her meanwhiles.
Sakura Park by Rachel Wetzsteon The park admits the wind, the petals lift and scatter like versions of myself I was on the verge of becoming; and ten years on and ten blocks down I still can’t tell whether this dispersal resembles a fist unclenching or waving goodbye. But the petals scatter faster, seeking the rose, the cigarette vendor, and at least I’ve got by pumping heart some rules of conduct: refuse to choose between turning pages and turning heads though the stubborn dine alone. Get over “getting over”: darks clouds don’t fade but drift with ever deeper colors. Give up on rooted happiness (the stolid trees on fire!) and sweet reprieve (a poor park but my own) will follow. There is still a chance the empty gazebo will draw crowds from the greater world. And meanwhile, meanwhile’s far from nothing: the humming moment, the rustle of cherry trees.
In books: This novel was published in 2018 but the AppleTV+ series starring another Potential Second Husband of mine, LaKeith Stanfield, just started last month. I have not yet started watching (negative pretend wife points, I know) but did get the book from my library in August as soon as I saw he was cast. The story was a startling, compelling look at fatherhood, particularly for Black men, and abandonment + postpartum depression wrapped into a dark tale about all of the monsters we have ultimately created in our society. There are elements of fantasy mixed with pieces of history, specifically centered in the neighborhoods of New York City. I was so engrossed with this storyline I pressed through, holding my breath until the end. I finished so quickly I forgot to take a photo of the book with my morning tea for my no-longer-cocktail-heavy1 Instagram.
In food/sightseeing: Last year when I worked NYCC, we had a day to wander so of course I consulted my ubiquitous Apple Map Guide to find a local interesting place to eat. Since Porchlight didn’t open until 3pm, we opted for a late lunch after seeing the Vessel up close, checking out a marvelous art exhibit at The Shed, browsing City Opera Thrift Shop (where a not-mean very stylish clerk greeted us, and I desperately hoped to fit into a number of glorious garments for shockingly low prices but ended up only with Sonia Sotomayor’s memoir for $3…great but not couture pants, alas), and walking part of The High Line.
We arrived at about 2:55 where a startled bartender welcomed us into the still-empty restaurant and asked if we’d like to eat outside. Not raining on an October afternoon in NYC, of course we would! Not only not raining but stunningly bright. Perfection, even before the tasty cocktails & spicy chicken sandwiches.
If you haven’t yet been to New York City, or even if you have - there is always more to see & eat & watch & experience. Get there, be there.
“…meanwhile, meanwhile’s far from nothing…”
Callback to my shameless Jesse Eisenberg name-drop
LOVE that picture of NYC from last October! The blue sky and dazzling sunburst is gorgeous.